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I was fortunate enough to have another to opportunity to make a poster for one of my favorite bands, River City Extension. They’ve sort of made it annual thing to come home and play a show at The Stone pony once a year and it’s been falling on the eve of Thanksgiving, and it’s become something that a lot of people, myself included, look forward to. Joe had shared with me his vision of making this show something people would dress up really nicely for .”Something like a wedding invitation” he told me. Not that this is like a typical wedding invitation, but that was the jumping point.

I started by sketching out a few quick ideas, and when I found the one I wanted to run with, I went into illustrator and started making it happen. I don’t normally post the beginnings of things, but I’d like to start, and no better example than this one.

Definitely proof that knowing what you want to do before you start doing it ALWAYS helps. And it’s sort of funny that things really didn’t end up too far from the original sketch.

Hope to see some of you at the show, wearing something sharp, of course. Get your tickets early, these guys have a bad habit of selling out. Also, rumor has it there will be a few of these posters at the show if you’re looking to pick one up.

Doing group shows in general is always fun, let alone those with a theme set to them. Let alone when the theme is BBQ! And all of those things are happening together at Part Time Studios with this T-Shirt show opening on July 1st.

Gulden’s mustard is the best in the world (deal with it Grey Poupon), and although I certainly don’t limit my use of it to strictly barbecues, it’s absolutely a staple to any decent BBQ spread. I changed the spelling to match my own name, because artists can do whatever they want. Actually just because I love puns. Does that qualify as a pun? Who knows, I just did it.

These shirts are going to be a very limited run, so if you’re trying to walk around with mustard on your shirt in a non slob way, make sure you pick one up.

The guys from Brick + Mortar asked me to make a poster for their show next month at the always fun Asbury Lanes. For those of you who don’t know, B+M are a two piece band whose music can accurately be described as indescribable. One of the few bands who you can say don’t fit into a genre and not have that be a lame attempt to make a band sound more interesting than they really are. Brick + Mortar are in fact on of the most interesting and talented bands I’ve seen. And Asbury Lanes, of course, is an old bowling alley converted to do shows. The stage is actually right on top of the lanes. Definitely the coolest Asbury venue.

The start of baseball season and the vibe of the retro venue both played parts in the creation of this poster.

Jeff asked me if would be interested in making a poster for their upcoming show in Philly with Wye Oak. And that answer will forever be yes. So here is the result of that. This is looking like it could be the show of the year thus far, so I’d really make an effort to be there if you can. This will be my first time seeing Wye Oak, for which I’m very excited and cmon, Secret Mountains are never a let down. See you there.

This week I reconnected with one of my favorite bands of all time, mewithoutYou. There was a time in my life when there wouldn’t have even been opportunity for a reconnection, because I’m pretty sure I was listening to them non stop for about 5 years. For those unfamiliar, mewithoutYou were one of the most absolute wild live shows among any band, and I’m willing to extend that to ever. There was an energy at their shows that I’ve yet to see matched. It was pure excitement from everyone involved. Some could argue this is still true. However, over the past years, and with the band getting older, they’ve slowed things down (in every which way) and progressively shed their early skins to become something so different from their first full length, you’d have to assume it was a different band. Which, believe me, I’m really not trying to gripe about the fact that they did this, especially given the quality of the stuff they’ve put out, but I’ve come to the sad realization that I just don’t like the stuff they are doing now as much as the earlier albums. And it pains me to say that. At one point I remember feeling genuinely sad that one day mewithouYou wouldn’t be a band anymore. Now, maybe they put out one more album, maybe they don’t but it doesn’t matter because nothing they do is going to be the magic that happened between A to B Life and Catch For Us The Foxes. Again, I really do like their latest two albums Brother, Sister and It’s All Crazy…, and had those been how they were introduced to me, I would probably not find myself in the place I’m in now. But it’s almost heartbreaking to feel so numb about a band who you’ve followed since their inception.

SO, I’m making my best efforts to realize that there is still so much magic and energy left in this band, and I never want to write them off because even the songs I like the least contain something most other bands are still trying to capture. There’s nothing feign about this band. Just a group of guys who see this world different than most everyone else, and oh, they’re also in a band. For everyone who got to spend 2002/2003 watching Aaron bounce of the walls, or shamefully trying to have a conversation with Mike online, counting how many coats Dan Pishock had, or making your own band that was a direct rip off of them, you know we’ve seen the glory days. But maybe that’s okay right?

If you’re new to my blog, or have been living under a rocking chair for the past while, every Monday I post a poster I made for the band who I listened to the most that week according to my last.fm scrobbles. This has opened the door for new music and staying active with making things…

I had a strong renewal of my faith in Good Old War this week. Not that I didn’t like their first album, because I did, but I really love their new self-titled album. I know I am really late on this, but I finally got to really listening to it this week, and it’s pretty great. I sort of was beginning to write them off as just a bland pop band, but they’re really a bit more remarkable than that. I hear tinges of early Paul Simon creeping through, and their harmonies are nothing to scoff at. If you’ve heard their first album, the second album really is a great progression from there. It’s nothing too unfamiliar, which I liked, but it really is just more impressive all around. Great album art too.

Modest Mouse’s The Moon And Antarctica is their best album (by a long shot) and a great example of a band at their peak. I got this album my junior year of high school and it’s never not sounded good to me. I think their early albums were inventive, but sometimes too rough to enjoy, and I think everything past this album was far too polished and fussed over, making this the perfect medium.

More Vince Guaraldi, obviously. Christmas is so soon, and I’m loving it!

Forgot how great Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs is. But, really great is how great.

So I got to work with NJ funny man, personality, and all around nice dude, Taylor Allen, on this poster for his radio show, Attack Of The Soundtrack. He came to me with not much more than name of the show, the idea of a record with teeth, and the free range to do something cool. I love when clients are so kind.

If you’re into laughing, music, movies, or any combination of these things, check out the radio show. Taylor is a great guy and quite deserving of your attention.

M. Ward’s Post War is a phenomenal album. I’m forgetting which song, but one from that album came onto my iPod early in the week, and it just did me so right, that I got into a bit of an M. Ward groove that lasted the next few days. While all of his albums are great, Transistor Radio and Transfiguration Of Vincent, being in the top three, nothing beats Post War. If you don’t listen, that’s the place to start. But also, why aren’t you listening already?

I got Cee Lo’s new album this week. Something I was certainly looking forward to. Unlike most mainstream pop records, this actually packs a few punches and delivers on more than the single. I think we can all agree Cee Lo has been pretty impressive on anything he’s worked on, and this is really no different.

I picked up Scout Niblett’s record The Fool Can Die Now this weekend mainly because I was drawn to the cover, but also because I saw Will Oldham had some work on the album, and that was good enough for me. The songs where he sings certainly shine, but the whole thing ain’t bad.

When listening to Secret Mountains I often have to ask myself “Is this my favorite band”? The question itself is more indicative of how good they are then any answer could be. However, the answer could easily be “yes.” I’ve watched this group grow from one lonely guy, to a 2 piece, to a three piece, and so and so forth. They are certainly in their strongest stride to date working with a 6 piece line-up for a over a year now. One of the most interesting and charming bands to see live, now working with 2 of the best EPs from a band of their stature I can think of. Their newest, Rejoice, caught my ear this week, and it demanded multiple listens back to back to back to back. Despite how good their first EP, Kaddish, is, this yet again ups the game. Joe Michelini of River City Extension just recently said this band was “effortlessly cool.” I can’t think of a better way to describe them. Beautiful music from beautiful people, and aside from The Wire, the best thing Baltimore has to offer.

This is a band who you would literally be a fool to not check out. Live or recordings, there is so much being offered and all you have to do is rejoice, and take it in.

A few weeks back Joe asked me if I would make the poster for his upcoming show at The Stone Pony. As always, I leaped at the chance. I just love doing stuff like this, and River City Extension are my boys and girls, so it’s extra fun to work on anything for them.

I thought about this one for a while, feeling sort of uninspired for what seemed like too long. I was wanting it to be something to keep up with the last poster I did for them, but something completely it’s own. Finally, this idea came to me, and I ran with it.

So, here it is, mark your calendars, clear your schedules, this is going to be quite the event. If you know anything about me, you know RCE has my complete backing; they are a phenomenal band and group of people. Both their live show and recorded music are each impressive in their own and respective ways. Not to mention, this show is stacked an unreal cast of supporting bands. Brick + Mortar are another favorite of mine, check them out if you haven’t yet. I will be at this show singing and dancing along, so to anyone else who’d like to do the same… see you there!

So my main man, the king of Piscataway, John Bradley, asked if I would make a flyer for a bit of show he’s throwing at his basement better known as Isla Nublar and I was glad to throw something at him. And I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out, though not at all what I had originally set out to do. But sometimes I love when that happens.

This show features a pretty stacked line up, including a Quiltary appearance, which is something I’m glad is happening. This is happening towards the later days of summer, and if you can make it out to this, well, the more the merrier. Shows are supposed to be ridiculous and fun, and this one is a perfect opportunity for you to get wild. And it’s free!

So for those of you who made it out to our show this past Friday at Vesuvio, you probably saw this. It was the first poster I made for the show, and I was sort of an idea I had for a while, but always forgot to execute. I was excited because it got some really awesome reception and I wound up selling out of this print. SO, I wanted to throw this up and make a formal announcement saying that if you were someone who wanted this poster after it sold out, or you are checking it out now and thinking you might like it, let me know on here or on facebook, because I will be ordering more of this print, and I don’t want to miss anyone.

Thanks for all your support and interest, I’m truly touched that anyone cares about this.

The picture below is the long-awaited group picture we’ve always wanted. It’s also one of the best pictures ever. It’s very hard to get us all in the same place at the same time and we needed to take advantage of it. I love you guys, this wouldn’t be possible without all of you doing what you’re doing and I’m so glad to be doing it with you.

When I first heard Best Coast I hated them. But then one day I heard the song Something In The Way in a new way, and I was changed forever. Now, I’m at the point where I can’t get enough, and thankfully this past week I got their new album, Crazy For You, and I’m crazy for it. It’s warm and fuzzy and she’s got that perfect voice. All the songs are about falling in love, or already being there, and it’s to me, the perfect sound of summer 2010. I give this a strong approval and recommendation.

Other things to take note of is that for the first time in the 4 years I was aware of them and on and off listening, I finally understood Woods and really enjoyed listening to them. I don’t know what clicked, but something did. I was cleaning my old bookshelves while listening to this, and it was really late at night, and the music added something to that.

I also realized that Pedro The Lion’sAchilles Heel is my favorite thing David Bazan has done.

I also listened to The Books new album, which classic Books, but I like that. If you like there other stuff, this won’t disappoint.

Billy O’Brien asked me to create a poster for this Cymbals Eat Guitars show and I couldn’t have been happier to say yes. This is going to be such a great show, and yes, it’s only $2. I’ve had their album on blast for the past few days, because it’s so awesome. I am super stoked about these guys, and I’m hoping this poster will get me into their inner circle…I can hope right?